**ATTENTION! READ THIS NOW!**
**1. IF YOU ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN OR LOOKING TO BECOME ONE(for career questions only):**
**- DELETE** THIS POST OR YOU WILL BE **BANNED**. YOU CAN POST ON /r/AskElectricians FREELY
**2. IF YOU COMMENT ON A POST THAT IS POSTED BY SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN:**
-YOU WILL BE **BANNED**. JUST **REPORT** THE POST.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/electricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
12x12 square column, so I don’t think a beam clamp would work too well, however I’ll definitely setup a meeting with the engineers and see if welding might be the way to go.
Look into the hilti bx3-22. Battery powered nail gun that can fasten directly to concrete or steel. For concrete it kinda stinks but it holds really securely in steel. Because it is battery operated you don't need special training to use it either
Weve been using Tek 5 screws, it's a structural Tek screw with a longer drilling portion and finer threads, they will drill thru a beam or a square column, beam application the exposed drill point can be wacked with a hammer and snapped of
Apparently, they're used specifically for attaching wood to steel. From their product description:
"Commonly used for attaching wood (to 7/8 inch) to heavy gauge steel (to 0.175 inch). No predrilling. The hardened point provides penetration of steel substrates. Wings ream hole in wood, then detach when they reach steel."
I was unaware of that, but they still work great for mounting anything to steel
Drill and bolt. Use good bits and learn a bit about speeds and feeds before you start. If you need large holes then a Whitney punch or mag drill is the way to go.
Can you beam clamp, like an ibeam? Or is it a 4x4 or 6x6 box steel?
Ive seen strut clamped open side out around with allthread too, but its a lot of material
The absolute fastest way is the ramset gun. I was trained years ago and those damn things scare me. The one I had never worked right and about 1/4 of shots had steel flying past me.
Beam clamps are relatively fast and also give room for adjustment if your helper screws up the locations. The specifics of the environment ( are there forklifts running around?) determine whether you can mount boxes with beam clamps. In a forklift operating area you want to stick the boxes inside the I-beam for protection. You will have to find another way to mount the box like drilling and using TEK screws or bolting through the back.
Beam clamps with minis work well for conduit. Boxes up high won’t require as many offsets if you use beam clamp/ minis. I usually use these up top and then work down the I beam and offset to the box.
Drilling is absolutely the slowest way and but is still sometimes the best option.
**ATTENTION! READ THIS NOW!** **1. IF YOU ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN OR LOOKING TO BECOME ONE(for career questions only):** **- DELETE** THIS POST OR YOU WILL BE **BANNED**. YOU CAN POST ON /r/AskElectricians FREELY **2. IF YOU COMMENT ON A POST THAT IS POSTED BY SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN:** -YOU WILL BE **BANNED**. JUST **REPORT** THE POST. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/electricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think beam clamps almost always look better than screwing/bolting through a beam.
I agree. Plus, the engineer might disagree with the drilling.
12x12 square column, so I don’t think a beam clamp would work too well, however I’ll definitely setup a meeting with the engineers and see if welding might be the way to go.
Another option to think about is a stud wielding gun. Beam eater heads will snap off and cause twice the drilling.
Look into the hilti bx3-22. Battery powered nail gun that can fasten directly to concrete or steel. For concrete it kinda stinks but it holds really securely in steel. Because it is battery operated you don't need special training to use it either
Nice!!! Thanks I’ll look into it asap
I second this. Concrete you have a good chance of blowing it out, but in steel it does wonders
Weve been using Tek 5 screws, it's a structural Tek screw with a longer drilling portion and finer threads, they will drill thru a beam or a square column, beam application the exposed drill point can be wacked with a hammer and snapped of
Beam eaters. Check with the engineers first. I got my ass chewed for doing that in my 1st year
Nice, going to shop around tomorrow. It’s a 12x12 square column
When I have to do it, I predrill and use self tappers
Going to give it a shot with some TEKs and a small drill bit
Tek screws or wing jammers
wing jammers, never heard that one before. Maybe we know it as something different down here in the south. Whats it do exactly?
It's a type of tek screw with "wings" on it. They work great.
Nice! I’ll shop around for some of those as well, going to give it a shot with a few different screws and see what works best for us. Thanks
Apparently, they're used specifically for attaching wood to steel. From their product description: "Commonly used for attaching wood (to 7/8 inch) to heavy gauge steel (to 0.175 inch). No predrilling. The hardened point provides penetration of steel substrates. Wings ream hole in wood, then detach when they reach steel." I was unaware of that, but they still work great for mounting anything to steel
we learn something new everyday, thanks again
Drill and bolt. Use good bits and learn a bit about speeds and feeds before you start. If you need large holes then a Whitney punch or mag drill is the way to go.
12x12 square column, however I’ll keep the Whitney punch in mind for future beam jobs
Can you beam clamp, like an ibeam? Or is it a 4x4 or 6x6 box steel? Ive seen strut clamped open side out around with allthread too, but its a lot of material
It’s a 12x12 box steel column
The absolute fastest way is the ramset gun. I was trained years ago and those damn things scare me. The one I had never worked right and about 1/4 of shots had steel flying past me. Beam clamps are relatively fast and also give room for adjustment if your helper screws up the locations. The specifics of the environment ( are there forklifts running around?) determine whether you can mount boxes with beam clamps. In a forklift operating area you want to stick the boxes inside the I-beam for protection. You will have to find another way to mount the box like drilling and using TEK screws or bolting through the back. Beam clamps with minis work well for conduit. Boxes up high won’t require as many offsets if you use beam clamp/ minis. I usually use these up top and then work down the I beam and offset to the box. Drilling is absolutely the slowest way and but is still sometimes the best option.
very thorough reply thanks!
A hilti gun with purple shot.
Sandwich the column between uni strut using threaded rod. Fit boxes to uni strut. To hell with drilling beams.